Have you
ever contemplated what makes a great story? How is
it that humankind has generated so many great
stories throughout history? Why does the reader feel
aligned with the heroes of these stories in such a
way that the stories go beyond the printed word and
impact our own lives back here in "the real world"?

While many people believe that myths are stories
that are "untrue" or even "lies," in fact, resonant
mythologies are metaphors that provide us with
symbols of a life we long to experience. To read a
myth literally is to miss its higher truth.

Mythological narratives may or may not be based in
fact. Myths that are temporal will cease to inspire
over time and will die out. The perennial myths,
however, are those which persevere and project a
timeless truth which point the way to our ultimate
destiny. To pursue this destiny is The Hero’s Journey.

A Campbellian
Analysis of the Hero’s Journey

There are three
major phases to great stories in mythology, based on
Joseph Campbell’s work and documented in The
Hero with a Thousand Faces.[1]
These phases are Separation, Initiation
and Return. Key story elements as presented
by Campbell follow.

Separation:
Separation is the culmination of a person
awakening from a world of drudgery and
despair to pursue a higher calling.

The initial step is a ‘Call to Adventure’
where the heroic figure is made aware of a
place beyond the world he has known his
whole life. A herald is encountered that
gives the hero a reason to rethink what he
(or she) "knows." This herald usually
provides some direction to enter into the
adventure and may remain with the hero as a
guide.

The hero may refuse the adventure or deny
the ability to move beyond the status quo.
The heralded event may even be ignored – All
of these constitute the ‘Refusal of the Call.’

The use of
magical intervention is then needed to
plunge the hero into the unknown. The
reluctant hero requires supernatural
forces to urge him on, while the willing
adventurer gathers amulets (magical
items) and advice from the protector as aid
for the journey.

A portal or threshold represents the
transition into the world of adventure, the
step of ‘Crossing the First Threshold.’
A sense of danger as well as
opportunity is conveyed. The threshold
guardian or "gatekeeper" must test the
hero’s mettle for competency before he may
enter the realm. Gatekeepers are terrifying
creatures such as Cerberus (the three-headed
dog of the Underworld), Pan, ogres, and
shape-shifters of classical mythology.

The hero having crossed the threshold is
swallowed into the unknown abyss, reborn in
the new world, and may appear to those left
behind as dead or lost. This may manifest as
the hero is swallowed into the darkness and
lands in the ‘Belly of the Whale.’ There he
awaits rebirth or release from this
purgatorial state. His release here
symbolizes a relinquishing of attachment to
the world left behind.

Initiation:Having
crossed over into the new realm or escaping
the belly of the beast, the hero encounters
a series of tests known as ‘The Road of
Trials.’ Each task prepares the hero to
pursue the ultimate mythological goal. These
trials show the hero as moving from childish
behaviors to self-reliance. This is his
personal evolution from personal limitations
to unrealized potential.

The Road of Trials leads to an encounter
with the Queen of the World – the
‘Meeting with the Goddess.’ The goddess
figure is representative of the Earth Mother
or source of life. She may be approachable,
as the hero’s mother, sister, beloved, or
She may be seemingly larger than life. She
is encompassing beauty, unrevealed
mystery, and unification of good and
evil.

In myth, Woman is the totality of what can
be known. As the hero is initiated into
life, the goddess becomes transfigured
through his understanding. Alas, those with
inferior eyes cannot see her magnificence –
they may even perceive her as ugly. While
the goddess can never be greater than the
hero, she always promises more than he can
comprehend. The hero can take her as she is
and thus be the king of her created world.
Through the goddess, the hero attains
mastery over life itself. His trials have
prepared him to recognize the richness of
life that She offers.

The hero may encounter the negative side of
woman – ‘Woman as Temptress.’ In this
scenario, the hero finds himself occupied
with selfish pleasures. The ease with which
the hero falls into temptation places the
path to enlightenment in peril. While the
purified hero will be repulsed by these
offerings, the struggling hero must soar
beyond the sin and despair, to regain his
path.

Atonement with the Father: In myth, a
parental figure is responsible for guiding
the hero through the journey. This
representation echoes the need for each
person to break free from childhood into
adulthood. A father figure may be portrayed
as the vengeful male threatened by the rise
of the hero and so establishes a horrifying
conflict. The hero seeks atonement or
"at-one-ment" with the father. Despite a
wrathful figure, the hero has faith that The
Father is merciful and he must rely on that
mercy. In turn, The Father has a change of
heart and the fearful image dissolves. The
hero is released from the situation through
reconciliation, forgiveness
and mercy.

Conversely, the father figure may be
benevolent, recognizing that as with all
life, the cycle must continue. While he
assists the hero through his journey, the
father figure is mindful that the budding
hero is destined to replace him. Just as the
mother may be portrayed both as good or
evil, so does the above contrast represent
the father as a positive and negative force.
Our initiation into an adult role in life is
contrasted with this dual role of the
parent.

The hero’s transformation could be a kind of
deification or realization of the essence of
life and ultimate purpose – this is his
‘Apotheosis.’ This may be achieved
through the conquering of an enemy or the
acquisition of supernatural powers. The most
far-reaching achievement is that of
selflessness, a new ability for
unconditional love.

‘The Ultimate
Boon’ is the
benefit, favor, or blessing
that is bestowed on the hero figure. There
is a drive for the hero to share the boon
with humankind, whether it is an elixir of
immortality, a holy grail, true love,
perfect knowledge, or the meaning of life.
Most prevalent is the recurring theme of
Immortality. The hero achieves illumination
that there is an indestructible life beyond
the physical body. This Immortality is
timeless and experienced in the here and
now.

Return:On
closure of the quest, the hero generally
sets off for home to bring the knowledge of
his adventure to others. In some cases, the
hero does not wish to flee the newfound
world – this is his ‘Refusal of the
Return.’ He may hold a belief that those
still in the former world cannot comprehend
what the hero has learned. The hero may take
refuge in his immortal bliss accompanied by
the Goddess – free from the burdens of
ordinary life.

For the hero who accepts the need to return,
there are two principal scenarios –
flight or rescue. Where the hero
has won blessings, he is commissioned to
return to the world to heal it. The
protector may assist him on a supernatural
return journey or ‘The Magical Flight.’
If the treasure was obtained through
conflict or without consent, this will
become a flight of difficult obstacles and
pursuit by the angered force.

In the second case, the hero requires the
outside world to pull him back from the
adventure – this is the ‘Rescue from
Without.’ The reluctant hero loses all
desire to abandon his bliss, he does not
want to take on the burdens of the world.
Someone or thing may facilitate his
miraculous return from apparent death. An
overriding reason is necessary to bring the
hero back to the world to save it.

Regardless of how the return is
accomplished, a supernatural force is again
needed to resolve the final crisis,
‘Crossing the Return Threshold.’ The
narrative now brings the hero full cycle –
it is his destiny to depart from the
mystical world he has discovered, and return
to the banalities of life with his bounty.
Symbolically, through this adventure, the
hero has lost his life (self or ego), but by
grace it is returned.

On return, the hero must resolve the Two
Worlds – divine and human; known and
unknown; yin and yang. The key to
understanding the myth is that the two
kingdoms are actually one. The unknown is a
forgotten dimension of the world we already
know. To explore that dimension is the whole
deed of the hero. By crossing this final
threshold, the hero recognizes that the
apparent separation in reality does not
exist – and he becomes the ‘Master of Two Worlds.’

What is the
result of the journey and return? The last
task of the hero is to try and communicate
his discoveries and the boon for all
humanity. He encounters many incapable of
comprehending beyond their physical world.
But inevitably, another will hear the
message, and arise as the next hero.

Our hero achieves a ‘Freedom to Live’
– that is, the ability to pass freely
between realms. The hero is transfigured
– unencumbered by personal limitations and
death holds no power over him. Through his
transfiguration, the hero is prepared for
at-one-ment. He is a presence benefiting the
world as it perpetually renews itself,
understanding perfected knowledge is
imperishable.

Seeking A New Mythology

So it is
that this cycle is used throughout history, and is
written on the human psyche. Our great stories,
songs and works of art follow this heroic path,
usually culminating in the accomplishment of a
"happy ending" or greater good. The story is
familiar to our subconscious, and regularly
manifests itself in our dreams, where our identity
becomes the hero. And the same cycle has been
documented with patients experiencing temporary or
permanent madness.

In other words, this "Monomyth" (cycle of mythology)
is common to all humanity and is written in the way
we think and understand ourselves. Mythology is a
set of symbols we use to describe our purpose and
what each one of us is capable of achieving. Our
great religions, social structures and, yes, even
our best stories, all achieve the major elements of
this cycle

One key characteristic of the monomyth is to
recognize the boundaries of our lives and create
anticipation of what lies beyond. In days of old,
boundaries were represented in the tribe or kingdom,
with that beyond to be conquered. The social values
and belief systems of the times are contextualized
by these boundaries.

In our modern world, where news is instantaneous,
language is of minor limitation, and technology
allows us to go where no one has gone before –
boundaries take on a new nature. Where do our human
limitations end? As alluded to above, all humanity
faces limitations in time and ability to release
from ego. Our hope and salvation is in surpassing
those limitations in our individual journey. A new
mythology for our times is evolving. Can you see it?
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